


Commonwealth Circumstance

by undeadcannibal



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alcohol, Brief Mention of Blood, Canonical Character Death, Drug Use, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, F/M, Minor Spoilers, Minor Violence, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn, romance spoilers, slight dialogue alteration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-04 13:00:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5335043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undeadcannibal/pseuds/undeadcannibal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens in the Wasteland, doesn't always stay in the Wasteland. </p><p>Some stuff about the Sole Survivor Xiomara's, aka you the Reader, journey through the Commonwealth dealing with hardships, death, love, and much much more. (rating and tags may change as chapters progress)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Knife to Meet You

After literally stumbling into Goodneighbor after a particularly rough encounter with a group Super Mutants, the small town seemed like a God-send. 

Or… it did until you passed through the door.

Not even more than four steps in and you were already being hassled by some asshole in a dingy leather jacket. 

Lifting an unlit cigarette to his lips, he placed the nicotine stick between them before flicking his lighter open, lighting it and then suffocating the flame before placing it back into his pocket. Taking a brief inhale, he waited a few moments before puffing out the smoke in front of her face before speaking.

“Hold up there. This your first time in Goodneighbor? Can’t go walking around without insurance.” 

Just like his appearance, the man’s voice was rough and made you want to cringe. 

Subtly tucking your injured arm closer to your side, you scowled at the man lightly before answering him, Dogmeat moving around your leg to growl lowly at him all the while.

“Unless it’s ‘keep-dumb-assholes-away-from-me’ insurance, I’m not interested.” 

Surprise briefly flashed in the man’s eyes before he shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

“Now don’t be like that. I think you’re going to like what I have on offer. You hand over everything you got in them pockets, or ‘accidents’ start happenin’ to ya. Big, bloody, ‘accidents’. Ya hear?”

You couldn’t afford to get in a stupid fight with some stupid thug over some stupid shit, especially not in some area where she was new and possibly unwelcome. You’d learned better from moments before that people tended to get angry and gang up on the other if they messed with one of their own; even if their own weren't exactly innocent in the fight themselves. 

Oh, you were so close to chewing him out then and there, but you refrained and bit her lip, settling for glaring at the jackass instead. 

“Whoa, whoa. Timeout.” 

Quickly tossing aside the lit cigarette, the man before you turned his head to the side showing that he acknowledged the person that the foreign voice belonged to but didn’t bother paying them full attention yet. 

“Someone steps through that gate the first time, they’re a guest. You lay off that extortion crap.” 

Turning your head over to the dimly lit alley by the gun shop, you saw the figure who you guessed the voice belonged to step closer towards the both of you, stopping only when he was a few feet away from the thug. Once he’d gotten close enough, the man didn’t bother you any further but moved on to the man close to him. 

At first glance, he seemed normal, aside from donning some clothes that looked like they belonged in a history museum; but further inspection told you otherwise. When you analyzed him for a bit longer, you soon realized that not only was he not normal, but he was also a ghoul. 

Huh. First time seeing one in the flesh. At least it’s a better change up from meeting the feral ones.

Before your mind wandered further, wondering and questioning everything about the new stranger, the man in the leather jacket stepped in front of the other, the tone in his voice sounding agitated as he spoke. 

“What d’you care? She ain’t one of us.”

“No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let her go.” 

The thug, who you now knew as Finn thanks to the mayor, simply scoffed at him before running his mouth again with the same attitude as before, not deterred the slightest by the others threat.

“You’re soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there’ll be a new mayor.” 

...

A moment passed before the mayor responded. 

“Come on, man. This is me we’re talking about. Let me tell you something…” Taking a few leisure strides toward Finn, his voice was bittersweet and dangerous. Something was up…

Your suspicion was answered for you sooner than you could blink, because the next thing you saw was Hancock opening his arms slowly with slight exaggeration before placing a firm hand on Finn’s shoulder and producing a knife from his pocket; lunging forward and stabbing Finn deeply and efficiently in the chest twice before stepping back and allowing his now limp body to fall forward onto the ground. 

Wiping his knife clean of the blood on the front of his trousers, he looked down at Finn’s deceased body at his feet. 

“Now why’d you have to go and say that, huh? You’re breaking my heart over here…” 

Finally acknowledging your presence, Hancock’s gaze moved from Finn’s body to yours -- his tone now softer and less sinister. 

“You all right, sister?” 

The air around you felt thicker with the amount of tension that had built up. 

You were literally at a loss for words. 

What the hell were you supposed to say after a display like that? 

“I…” 

As much as you wanted to stand there, jaw open and eyes blinking like crazy, you couldn’t.

Your conscience wasn’t going to allow you to. 

We can’t act like some spooked housewife now. We survived, got out of the vault, and made it this far, and have seen our fair share of death along the way. It’s a little late to become this shocked over some asshole’s death.

Hands curling into fists, you shook your head once before replacing the bewildered look on your face with a mellowed one, offering him a forced smile before responding. “I’m fine. Thanks for taking care of him.”

Those pitch black eyes of his saw right through you, but he didn’t bring it up, most likely for your sake. 

“Good. Now, don’t let this little incident taint your view of our little community. Goodneighbor’s of the people, for the people. You feel me? Everyone’s welcome.”

“Uh… y-yeah. I feel you.” 

Finally offering you a smile of his own, Hancock nodded affirmatively. “Good. You stay cool, and you’ll be part of the neighborhood so long as you remember who’s in charge.” 

With that said, Hancock gave you one last nod before turning and departing, leaving you just as surprised and confused as before. 

Although you were slightly confused, you had to admit, the display and the way the Ghoul carried himself left you a little flustered. 

Only in Commonwealth...


	2. Misconception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You just might be the right kind of trouble for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who finally got off their ass and added the italic and bold coding to one of their works...
> 
> So, here we are. Second chapter and Hancock's joined the party for a while and your beginning to lose your damn mind. Just what the hell is his game and what does he expect to get out of traveling with you? Who knows...
> 
> I gotta say, I didn't think I was going to continue this. Knowing myself, I assumed it would end up unfinished, forever lost in my mind -- but oh no. Hancock has got a damn grip on both Xiomara and me and he ain't letting us go anytime soon. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for joining me on this, let me know what you think of this so far and what you'd like to see in the future for this. I've already begun on the next chapter and the only hint I'm giving you for it is the title: Hancock the Hero. Note: this story won't always go in the order of the game (for those who've played it, I'm barely brushing the surface with it haha. I barely fully romanced him yesterday and I'm screaming) and honestly it's just my interpretation on Xiomara's and Hancock's romance together and what they've been through. I hope you enjoy.

After your little ‘meeting-with-the-mayor’ you’d chosen to stop by the gun shop and leave.

Or, that’s what you intended to do anyway. 

When you’d first found other survivors, thankfully it was Preston and his small group. Helping them was difficult -- it was your first time out of the vault, and your first time shooting another person -- but it was worth it in the long run. Eventually, both you and Preston’s group managed to make it back to Sanctuary Hills without any further problems, which then lead to you somehow becoming the new general of the Minutemen. 

Not long after you’d gotten a few caps worth of ammo, one of the passing guards of Goodneighbor mentioned that if you were ever looking for work to drop by Bobbi’s place. After he mentioned that, he left and returned to his patrolling, leaving you more confused. 

Was there going to be a time when you weren’t confused here? 

Probably not. 

But, as confused and slightly disturbed as you were, you were also curious. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but you weren’t going to let the same happen to you over something so minuscule. 

Tucking your ammo into your shoulder bag, you began to search the town for this so-called ‘Bobbi’s place’. 

It took you so much longer than it needed to. 

You stopped by the Memory Den, Hotel Rexford, Daisy’s Discounts, but to no avail. 

If only that damn guard had told you where to find them. 

Just when you were about to call in for the day at the hotel, you passed by a vacant alleyway that was dimly lit. You weren’t quite sure what compelled you to enter it, but you did nonetheless. Shifting your gaze around in case there was someone watching you or any traps -- having barely missed being blown to bits by a trip-wire trap before -- you cautiously made your way down the alley. Having only one way to turn, you turned left and were met with the source of the light; a large metal door with a single rectangle slide window, just like in all those movies where the protagonist would try to get into some seedy place to find out the information they needed. Maybe you should’ve kept on walking… 

Before you had the chance to turn on your heel and walk away, the rectangular window slid open, revealing yet another Ghoul, though this one was slightly different from Hancock. A touch more feminine with their short, slightly kempt bob hairstyle. Although they were slightly different, when they spoke their voice slightly reminded of Hancock’s, the sort of rough tone that you had you wondering if it was simply a Ghoul thing. 

“Hey you. You looking for work?” 

Eyebrows raised just the slightest, you looked around you quickly, wondering whether or not you should say yes or no. Was this the Bobbi the guard had mentioned earlier? It had to be if she was already offering up a job. “Uh…”

“Cut the shit, girl. You’re either here for work or you’re just being nosy. If your answer is the latter, leave.” 

Although it was probably best to say no and be on your way, you looked down at your shoulder bag and thought about your remaining supplies. Though you did just purchase some ammo earlier, it took most of your caps to do so, and with the numerous enemies and problems you encountered along the way when traveling, you were only going to need more and more than you could afford. So, you were in dire need of the caps. 

Having quickly weighed the pros and cons, you simply nodded with a short reply of yes, you were looking for work and when could you start. 

Sounding slightly more amused than before, they answered your question. “Well aren’t you an eager beaver? If you don’t mind a little manual labor and don’t ask too many questions, you’re in. I’ll give you 50 caps to start. Interested?” 

Only 50 caps? Damn… maybe this really wasn’t worth all the trouble. 

As you considered the offer, Dogmeat shuffled about your legs, circling them a bit before coming to rest at the side of one. 

Well, if you were going to keep Dogmeat and yourself safe, you’d have to take what you could get. 

“I… I’m in.” 

Although it wasn’t quite the payment you were hoping for, it seemed it was the best you could get at the moment. 

“That’s what I like to here.” 

Once you’d made up your mind, you heard some brief shuffling from behind the heavy door before the lid of the window was closed and the door itself was swung open, revealing Bobbi’s entire form. Her build was faintly average, apart from being a ghoul, and she wore a simple dress shirt and vest complete with slacks and dress shoes -- pinning together the whole ‘shady business manager’ look. 

“Let’s go inside. I’ll give you the lowdown.” 

Behind here, there was another set of large metal doors, poorly painted but standing just as sturdy as they looked. 

Stepping inside, Bobbi turned and gave you one last look. “Go ahead and head downstairs. I’ll meet you there and give you the details.” Not saying further, Bobbi left and descended down the stairway, leaving you alone in the vacant room. 

Taking in your new surroundings, you noticed all the junk and clutter around every corner, making the place look as if a grenade had gone off in it. 

Interrupting your thoughts, a sharp bark filled the air causing you to jump slightly.

“Shh! Dogmeat, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” 

You looked down at the dog at your legs, staring up at you with big dark eyes, looking as innocent as ever. Sighing to yourself, you leaned down and gently scratched behind his ears a few times before standing again. “Come on, boy. Let’s get to work.” 

Walking over towards the stairs, you carefully stepped down step after step until you reached the bottom floor, seeing Bobbi waiting for you at an old chair. 

When you saw her, you waved once to grab her attention. 

“Ready to get to work?” She asked, looking over at you patiently. 

Nodding once, you smiled halfheartedly in return.

“Uh, yeah. But, one thing before I do, are you going to tell me what I’m actually going to be doing or…” 

You understood that you weren’t supposed to ask many questions, assuming she was the type to keep very hush-hush with her business and information and all, but you at least wanted to know what you were going to be doing for so little caps. If it turned out to be more than you bargained for, you were probably going to ask for more caps in return. 

Bobbi sighed in exasperation before humoring you with an answer. “Look, we’re pulling a job here. Big payoff. Taking some things that aren’t exactly _ours_ yet.” 

If none of this seemed suspicious to you before, now it did. 

“No offense Bobbi, but if you expect me to work for you, I’m going to need more information than that.” 

“Oh? Curious type, eh? Alright, I’ll spell it out for ya. You are going to be doing some digging." 

…

 _Really?_

Looking at her incredulously, you tilted your head slightly, speaking to her with a sarcastic tone. “Digging? What are we going to look for? Buried treasure?” 

The remainder of Bobbi’s lips quirked upwards just the slightest.

“You could call it that. But seriously, lay off the questions. Remember what I told you before this. Now, the other two down there are digging already. Go give ‘em a hand, will ya?

Knowing that that was as much information you were going to get from her, you nodded understandingly before both you and Dogmeat headed off down to the final floor.

 

After traveling through the humid and crudely dug tunnels, you finally arrived at the dig site, seeing the two people Bobbi mentioned already there and complaining about the same shitty pay they were getting for their work.

Well, it was sort of comforting to know that you weren’t the only one Bobbi was screwing over with small pays.

Walking over to meet them, you waved once and offered them a simple greeting - them nodding once in return before one jerked his head towards the doorway that lead to another part of the tunnel system - signaling for you to follow behind him. 

Just as they entered, they both stopped and their forms stiffened, one backing up towards the other while he gripped his tool tightly. “Did you hear that?” 

The other nodded before stepping forward, peeking over the platform down at the bottom a few feet away. “Oh shit!” 

His friend behind him frowned and stepped closer before the one that’d been glimpsing down bolted up and turned. “It’s nothing but fucking mirelurks dude! I’m out of here.” 

Bolting past you, the other turned and saw three of the mentioned mirelurks begin to move and skitter up the steps before following his friend’s example and running away after him. “Oh, hell no. Bobbi can take this job and shove it!” 

Standing there, not sure what to do, you turned your head just in time to see the first crustaceous creature clamber up the stairs and head your way, ready to pinch and slash you much like it planned to do to the other workers before they escaped.

“Fuck…” Reaching behind you, you grabbed your sharp bladed tire iron and readied yourself for the creature’s first attack while Dogmeat did the same -- lowering himself slightly, growling menacingly at them, ready to leap and bite at the beast when it got close enough. 

The mirelurk, unperturbed by both your battle stances, clicked and hissed at you while it raised one claw before striking forward with a quick swing. Thankfully, since you’d been traveling and trying to survive the Wasteland, you’re reflexes had honed enough that you were now able to guard yourself better; raising your armored arm to take the brief of the attack before the other that carried your blade swung and landed a loud hit on its soft underside. 

Having struck a heavy and efficient first hit, the creature stumbled back, injured and now bleeding slightly before slowly crawling forward again. Dogmeat growled and barked, bearing his sharp teeth before nipping at the creatures smaller legs. The mirelurk became momentarily distracted by Dogmeat’s attempt, turning to swing at the canine just in time to catch another heavy hit from you. Much like the last, your blade sunk deep into the creatures vulnerable underside, causing it to release one final pained screech before it fell in defeat.

“Yes!” 

It felt good to know that not only were your reflexes getting better but so were your melee skills and close combat. Soon enough, you would be a deadly force at close-range combat. 

Before you allowed yourself a victory, the other two mirelurks climbed their way up the stairs one at a time, ready to trap both Dogmeat and you. Glancing down at your furry companion, you jerked your head and pointed at the farthest mirelurk, signaling to him which one to go after. “Go boy! I got the other one.” 

Barking in acknowledgement, Dogmeat leaped forward at the crustacean farthest away from you, barking and snapping his jaws at him ferociously.

Grinning over at the dog, you turned your attention towards the crab-like monster in front of you and resumed your readied stance, beckoning it forward with a taunting tone. “Come on, you over-sized crab. I’m ready for anything you got.” 

Raising one of its claws up, the mirelurk clicked and snapped its one claw in front of you -- almost as if it understood your challenging of it and was accepting it the same. 

This time, it was you who made the first move, taking a few steady and quick steps towards it before swinging at the same claw it clacked at you. Your blade caught the open area of its limb, hitting it directly where its large pincer and limb met, successfully severing the defending claw from it’s body. While the mirelurk shrieked loudly, you didn’t give it another moment to recover and came forward with another strike, finishing it off like the other. 

Just as your opponent fell, you looked over to see if Dogmeat needed any help but to your surprise he didn’t. The dog handled himself just fine with his own foe and was now taking a large bite out of the soft flesh located on the underside of the creature, causing it to die within moments, claws flailing about one last time before falling limp beneath Dogmeat. 

Beaming proudly, just as Dogmeat jumped back from the monster you moved over and paid him with a generous amount of affection, praising him on his job. “Well done, Dogmeat! Shit, you’re getting just as dangerous as I am, huh?” 

Dogmeat yipped once - tail wagging happily behind him hard enough to make his backside shake - then gave your bruised cheek a slobbering kiss. 

“Agh, alright, alright! Hah, thanks, boy.” Snickering slightly, you stood up and wiped at the gross mixture of mirelurk remains and dog slobber on your cheek before you heard a voice call out from behind you. 

“What’s going on in my tunnel?” 

You turned around to see none other than Bobbi standing behind you, looking a bit pissed off and curious at the same time. 

“Dude, that room was filled with mirelurks! Didn’t you know anything about it?” 

Bobbi sighed and shook her head. “No, this was not expected, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan for this. It’s going to take a lot more than a couple mirelurks to stop me.” 

Ugh, this ghoul women was going to be the death of you, literally. 

After a few moments, Bobbi looked around surveying the damage only to find that nothing major had been hurt during the fight. “Well, at least you stuck around. So, I guess that means you’re promoted. You get to be my new gun. But, I think we just need one more guy to do this--” 

“An old friend of mine. He’ll want a fair cut, but we saw where being cheap got me.” 

Wiping your blade clean with and old rag, you tucked it away safely but close enough to use it freely before nodding at her statement. “Sure thing. Where’s this guy of yours?”

“Diamond City. Guy’s good. Likes gadgets, money, and not much else.” 

Bobbi was ready to turn and head on her way before she turned her gaze on you once more.

“You know, I think it’s best if you actually see what we’re after. Since I have some things to check on in Diamond City anyway, I’ll meet you there. Head on over to the noodle shop and I’ll talk to you once I finish up on my business. 

With that said and done, Bobbi finally turned and left up the stairs. 

Glancing down at your canine companion, you sighed tiredly and shrugged. “Well, looks like we’re heading up to Diamond City, boy.” 

Dogmeat barked and bounded around on his front paws a few times, letting you know that he was ready if you were. 

After what just happened, you didn’t think you’d ever be ready for whatever Bobbi had planned. 

 

Thankfully the trip to Diamond City wasn’t as strenuous as you assumed it would be. The most trouble you had along the way was a few gangs of raiders which you both disposed of easily. You were also able to loot some caps and ammo too. If anything went wrong you’d at least have a little more weaponry to rely on.

Once you’d gotten into Diamond City and headed into the market, you paid a visit to Nick and Ellie at the Valentine Detective Agency before leaving to find Bobbi. 

Strolling through the market, surveying the numerous shops and people along with the occasional guard, eventually you came around to the noodle shop and found her waiting in a full covering get-up. 

“Bobbi?”

“Yes, it’s me. I have to hide my face in these parts. People like me aren’t allowed around here. Now let’s get down to business. That big wall of glass looming over Diamond City is the mayor’s office.” She jabbed a thumb in the direction of the office briefly. “Most people don’t know it, but there’s a strongroom buried beneath. Mayor’s just sitting on top of it. And that’s our target.”

“The guy has it coming if you ask me. With how he treats my kind, maybe he deserves worse.”

Even though you wanted to question what exactly you were after hidden in the strongroom, you didn’t voice your curiosity. Having already tried to pry more information out of her previously, you doubted that you’d be able to get any more out of her. 

“Alright. Let’s get started.” You stated with an eager smile.

“Let’s say we make this party a little bigger. I managed to track down my tech guy. His name’s Mel and he’s right here in Diamond City. The guy can make a gadget to solve any problem. But the thing is, he’s currently locked up right now.”

“You have to get him out of there. I can’t just stroll into Diamond City Security with this face. Covered or not.” 

You nodded understandingly. “Okay. Tell me about the Security room.” 

“It’s built in some old locker rooms,” Bobbi began. “and it smells the part. It’s not a maximum security prison, and it isn’t heavily guarded. No problem for someone like you, right? Pick a lock, find a key, bribe a guard, the usual stuff -- Just get him out of there.” Bobbi finished by tossing a few caps onto the counter, paying the noodle-making robot before departing, no doubt leaving the city until you’d gotten Mel out. 

 

When you walked into the Diamond City Security office, you soon realized that Bobbi hadn’t lied about the place. Not only was the security minimal, but the place also had that distinct locker room odor to it. The only thing apart from the from the guards patrolling that told it was a makeshift jail was the metal bars used to make a decent sized single cell. 

Looking inside the cell, you could only see one resident inside and that’s who you safely assumed was Bobbi’s guy, Mel.

“Hey, you.” 

Turning your head, you saw a security guard approach you from the left side of Mel’s cell. 

Trying to seem as innocent as ever, you gave the guard a smile and greeting. “Hello.” 

You couldn’t see the guards face from his mask, but you could tell that he gave you a quick look over -- probably determining whether or not you were trouble.

“You need something?” 

“Yeah, um, would you mind telling me what Mel did to get thrown in here?” 

The guard simply shrugged in response before answering, “Nothing too bad. He just tried to hack the bot down at the bar to give him free drinks for life.” Laughing softly, he leaned in a little closer to you before continuing. “But if you ask me if I had the skills to do so, I’d do the same.” 

You couldn’t help but to laugh as well, shaking you head softly. “Thanks -- oh! There is one more thing I need before I go.” 

The guard shifted a bit before nodding his helmet-covered head. “Sure thing. Shoot.” 

“I was wondering if you were able to let Mel go.”

The guard waited a few moments before responding with a nod of his head. “Huh, didn’t know Mel had friends, but alright. He’s pretty much done his time. Let me open up the door.” 

Tucking his gun aside, the guard moved past you and around to the cell door, unlocking it with a set of keys before signaling for Mel to stand. “Alright, Mel. You’re free to go.” 

Mel stood from the bench and got out of the cell, nodding appreciatively to the guard before glancing at your and saying, “Thanks. Let’s get out of here.”

 

After you’d gotten Mel out of jail and gave him a short debriefing of the whole situation he agreed to meet you at the dig site with Bobbi.

There, you met the both of them and went over the vague details of the plan before descending into the tunnels fully. 

When you were down there, you weren’t sure where you’d rather be. In the murky trenches in the swamp crawling with feral ghouls and deathclaws or down in the humid tunnels with the ferals and the mirelurks. Honestly, it was an even toss up between the two.

 

Eventually, after making your way through the tunnels, Mel’s latest gadget literally blowing up the way for your group, you reached what you all thought was the end, only to be met with a room full of both feral ghoul stalkers and an irradiated one. Running around, swinging your blade at the close ones while you saved your stronger pieces for the irradiated ghoul, was not fun. At least not to your definition. 

When you finally managed to kill the last feral ghoul and defeat the irradiated one, you’d worked up a sweat while also earning a few new bruises and scratches. Thankfully you’d remembered to stock up on bandages and Stimpaks before coming down here. You shuddered to think that if you weren’t so adamant on hoarding medical supplies and chems, you’d be the one Bobbi and them would have to fight off. 

After you’d all recovered and gathered your breath, Bobbi looked around before signaling you all closer to her. 

“Great, now my socks are wet.” She grunted in distaste before turning and facing your group. “Well guys, we’re right under the Diamond City strongroom.” 

Mel raised an eyebrow after Bobbi finished. “You sure this is the right place? I’ve been mapping it out and I think Diamond City should be a little further North of here.” 

“I don’t have a doubt in my mind. How about a little trust for the boss?”

If that didn’t send off red flags in your head, her next explanation did. 

Bobbi was being too damn shady about this and you wanted the truth. You weren’t going to allow her to rope you into some crooked plan and not expect you to put up a little resistance. 

“Tell the truth Bobbi, where are we?” 

Bobbi’s composure remained as calm as ever as she stated in a flat tone, “Under the Diamond City strongroom. And **that** is the last time I’m saying it.”

Deciding for you that your conversation was finished, she turned her attention on Mel. “We still need a way to get up there, though. Mel, you think your robot will work here?” 

Mel nodded. “Look at this place. The foundation is already crumbling, one blast from Sonya and I bet the floor from above would come right down.”

“Well, then make it so.” Bobbi replied. 

“Oh, and we won’t want to be in the room for this. Collapsing foundation and all.” 

Bobbi gave a small smile. “Good thinking.” 

“Alright then, everyone clear out.” Mel ordered, ushering all of you out of the room and into (what you hoped would be) the safety of the tunnel. “Sonya, prepare yourselves for a blast of maximum power.”

You watched as the small floating robot executed Mel’s orders and floated into the collapsing room beneath the stronghold before a bright neon blue light filled the room and the majority of the tunnel. 

Then, the luminous light faded in a flash, leaving on dust and dirt in its wake as the foundation collapsed. Cement, pipes, twisted & rusted metal; it all came crumbling down in front of you, leaving a giant open hole above. 

Before you could survey the full extent of the damage, you had to shield your eyes from the dust as well as your mouth after you coughed from inhaling a bit of the grime.

_Well, that’s one way to make an entrance…_

 

“Bobbi, what are you doing here?” 

_Wait,_

You knew that soft voice from somewhere… 

Your mind scrambled to identify who the owner of the voice was before coming to a realization. 

It was Fahrenheit. 

Fahrenheit was a woman a bit taller than you with an orange undercut hairstyle, dressed from head to toe in gear and often found at Hancock’s side. 

_At Hancock’s side…. that means..._

“Bobbi!” You yelled, stepping forward with a single heavy step.

Bobbi groaned and cursed. “Shit!”

After you stepped forward into the room, you could see that above you were Fahrenheit and a few other people you didn’t know, standing and waiting on a large, metal staircase/balcony, waiting for your party. 

Fahrenheit paid you no attention as she continued. “You seriously didn’t think Hancock would catch wind of your scheme? He took you in, Bobbi. And you’re stealing from him?” Although her voice was soft, her words held a certain bite to them. 

Before Bobbi answered her, she turned to face you, shaking her head as if none of what Fahrenheit was saying was important. “Don’t listen to her.”

Instead of addressing Bobbi, you turned your attention on Fahrenheit instead, wanting to get the truth from someone who wouldn’t lie to you. “What does this all have to do with Hancock?” You asked. 

Even though you had a good idea of what was up, it didn’t hurt to ask. You just hoped that Fahrenheit would be completely honest with you, unlike Bobbi. 

It looked like she was about to answer you until Bobbi stepped in, making you look at her as she spoke. “Yeah, about that. As Mel guessed, this isn’t the Diamond City strongroom.

Finally, Fahrenheit spoke up towards someone other than Bobbi. “Well, it seems that the rest of you were kept in the dark about all of this. Nice, No-Nose.” Her last words were sharp and venomous as they were aimed at her. 

Once she’d lashed at Bobbi, she turned towards you and the others, informing you of what you’d done, confirming your worries. “You all just broke into Hancock’s store room. You know. Hancock? The **mayor** of Goodneighbor?”

“Damn it, Bobbi.” Mel groaned. 

Their words didn’t seem to phase Bobbi the slightest. Instead, she tried to make do with what she could of the situation. “Listen, guys, I know this isn’t what you expected, but there are still a ton of caps on the line here. Help me take her out and all of it is ours.” 

Mel intervened, “This is Hancock we’re ripping off here. The guy tends to hold grudges.”

Oh, you already knew that. Having caught a personal show of what the guy was capable of - and some little, itty-bitty minuscule sparks of… questioning emotions - you’d already made up your decision about all of this. 

You weren’t going to betray Hancock. Or… at least you weren’t going to betray him any further than you already accidentally had. 

“Counter offer,” Fahrenheit spoke up, capturing your attention. “Just go back into your little tunnel and we can forget this all happened. What do you say?” 

“Bobbi…” You turned toward her with a serious expression, brows furrowed deeply and a set frown curling your lips. “I refuse to stand with you after you lied to me and tried to pull this shit, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to give you a chance. Think about it. You’re outnumbered and outgunned. There’s no scenario where this ends well if you try to fight.”

Bobbi mulled over your words for what felt like hours before finally responding for the final time. “Sorry, girl. There’s too much here to let go to waste.” 

 

Walking back through the tunnel system after everything you’d gone through was torture. Every step you took felt heavy the same way your heart did. 

Twice. 

Twice you’d seen someone die because of your mistakes. 

How the hell were you going to come back from everything and act like it didn’t matter? 

And to make matters worse, when everything with Bobbi had been ‘settled’, Fahrenheit told you to stop by Hancock’s place to speak with him. Judging from his display when you first arrived, you weren’t quite sure what to expect. For all you knew, he was going to dispose of you just like he did Finn. Although you didn’t want that to happen, you probably deserved it. You really should have known better than to become roped into Bobbi’s shady business.

While you were busy sulking mentally, when you raised your gaze from your feet you realized that you’d made it back into Goodneighbor and were standing just outside the Old State House. Your heart was hammering wildly within your chest as you felt your nervousness flare up.

Sure, you supposed you could’ve ran, but… would that really solve anything? 

No. 

If anything, it would only delay your death temporarily. If you fled now only to come back later you’d still end up dead. The only difference between now and then would be you got to survive for a few more days. 

“Damn it.”

Taking a deep breath, you grit your teeth once before exhaling loudly. 

One way or another, you were going to learn how to not run away from your problems; unfortunately for you, however, you were going to learn that the hard way then and there. 

Mustering up all of the courage you could gather, you raised your head and stepped forward, pushing open the wooden door with a loud, attention-catching creak. 

Although you were dreading it internally, you were going to take responsibility for your actions, whether or not it got you killed. 

_Well, if I die, at least I can die knowing that I did so honestly._

When you entered the building, one of the guards nudged his head in the direction of the stairs leading up -- no doubt knowing what you were here for.

Giving him a brief thanks, you headed upstairs and were immediately met with the sight of the mayor ghoul himself leaning against the side of a door. 

The moment you stepped off that last step his attention was on you. 

“Well, if it ain’t Bobbi’s little patsy.”

Sweat was already beginning to bead at the back of your neck while you swallowed the lump in your throat. 

“Hancock…” 

“Here,” Hancock dropped the leg that was propped back against the wall and took a step towards you, hand outstretched and holding a small sack within its palm. “for protecting my stash. Wise decision turning on Bobbi like that.” 

Reaching forward slowly, when you were a few inches away from the gift, your hand hovered above it hesitantly. “I--” 

That… was the last outcome you were expecting. What you assumed would happen was that not only would you get told off, but also killed. But, he didn’t meet your expectations (thankfully) and was instead rewarding you for not going through with Bobbi’s plan. Geez, this guy would never fail to surprise you, would he? 

Not knowing what else to do or say, you shook your head from side to side furiously while blurting out a rushed apology. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know exactly what the hell she was up to and I--” 

Hancock shook his head leisurely, laughing all the while. “Nah, it’s all good. Fahrenheit explained the whole deal to me -- how everything really went down. Also told me that you refused to stick with Bobbi even though she offered a large amount in return.” 

Oh, thank God.

Or, actually… 

You were going to have to thank Fahrenheit later. 

“I… still. I’m sorry. For everything.”

Hancock shrugged once before nudging the sack into your hand, urging you to accept it. Not wanting to push his patience or his generosity, you took it without another moment of hesitation. 

“Hey, this is Goodneighbor. No hard feelings.” Just when you thought he was finished, he re-crossed his arm across his chest before releasing a single rumbling noise. “Lemme tell ya. This classy tricorner hat of mine is getting heavy. Am I turning into the man? Some kind of _tyrant_? I spend all my time putting down the people I would’ve been proud to scheme with just a few years ago.”

Heeding his speech, you nodded once, letting him know that you were paying attention to what he was saying. 

Hancock continued afterward. “I need to take a walk again. Get a grip on what really matters; living free!” 

Wait… he wasn’t insinuating that you… 

No, he couldn’t possibly…

Actually, now that you thought about it -- the ghoul still remained a mystery to you. He’d thrown you for a loop more than once now so for all you really knew, he was actually hinting at what you thought he was. 

Raising a questioning brow and tilting your head just the slightest, you spoke with a doubting tone. “Can you really just leave Goodneighbor like that? You are the mayor, aren’t you?” 

“Hey, the mayor’s still the mayor whether he’s ‘in residence’ or not. Besides, I’ve walked out of here plenty of times. Keeps me honest. Can’t let all the power go to my head. That’s not what being in charge of Goodneighbor is about.”

Pursing your lips, you nodded thoughtfully before a sudden idea came to your mind. Although it was probably a stupid one and you were probably pushing your boundaries a little, you figured that if he was going to leave anyway, why not leave with you. You certainly knew that you could use the extra help and defense when traveling between places. 

Laughing nervously, you rubbed your arm a bit before speaking up again. “Well, if you’re heading out, why not go with me? No pressure if you don’t want to.” Yeah, it was a long shot, but maybe it would be worth it in the long run. 

Hancock looked over your form once before nodding in agreement with a small smile. “Yeah. I like it. You might just be the right kind of trouble. Let me just have a little chat with my community, first. Give them the news.” 

With that said and done, he stepped away from the wall and gave you a final nod of his head before departing through the door beside him. 

Awestruck, all you did was nod dumbly in return. 

_‘--the right kind of trouble’_

This ghoul was going to be bad news and you knew it. 

But, maybe, just maybe, deep down you really didn’t care. 

You were in this for the long run now. 

Not only were you still clutching the sack of caps for dear life, but a faint blush had begun to rise beneath your cheeks. 

Things were certainly going to be interesting between the two of you.


	3. Nightmare Nostalgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this has any mistakes, I finished this really late but was super excited with how it turned out after re-writing it and wanted to post it immediately.
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains depictions of death and drug usage.

_… Flashes …_

_… Blinding flashes …_

_… Sounds of explosions …_

_… Haunting screams echoing through the streets …._

_You could feel your mouth move as you called out to Nate and Shaun, but you couldn’t hear your own voice._

_You couldn’t hear anything aside from the deafening sound of the sirens ringing loudly outside._

_The sound, that loud persistent wail, terrified you._

_**It was really happening**_

**_This was not a drill_**

_Rushing out of the house, not even thinking of bringing along any personal possessions, the streets were crowded with numerous families; all shaking and stuttering -- scared and worried -- just like you were._

_The sight of the Vault-Tec van brought no comfort._

_Just like everything else, it was being abandoned along with everyone’s homes and other things as they all rushed and pushed their way to the vault._

_This was it…_

_The beginning of the end of the world…_

_As you struggled to keep up with Nate, you could hear Shaun -- your **son** \-- crying. _

_Just like the sirens, the sound filled your heart with fear and brought tears to your eyes._

_**How could this be happening?**_

**_Why now?_**

_“Nate!”_

_Running ahead of you a few feet away, Nate glanced back at you, seeing you struggle to keep up, looking just as scared as he felt -- he slowed his pace just a little for you. Once you caught up, you could see how distraught both Nate and Shaun were. You so desperately wanted to cradle him in your arms, but you knew that if you tried you would probably drop him._

_“Everything will be alright,” Nate reassured you, coaxing you to continue the race towards the vault. “just hang in there. We’ll get through this together.”_

_You wanted to believe him…_

_But you couldn’t._

_**Nothing would be alright.**_

_“This way! All vault participants follow the trail and soldiers to the vault!”_

_The soldier telling you where to go was waving his arm back and forth, leading people along the trail one after another._

_Around you, you could see the different faces -- your neighbors, friends, family -- all wearing the same scared expression as they struggled to keep up with the rest. Most didn’t bother with bringing along anything, but others straggled behind the group, arguing over what to bring and what to leave behind._

_Running along the path, through the small backwoods, you ran along with Nate towards the guarded gate._

_Funny…_

_For it being the start of an atomic apocalypse, everything still looked the same._

_The world still looked as if it was at peace._

_As you neared the security passage, you saw the large crowd in front of it._

_Others were crying on the sidelines while the people in front were yelling at the guards on duty._

_Through the crowd, one face reigned familiar._

_“I’m going in! You can’t stop me!” You recognized that the man currently shouting at the officer was the same Vault-Tec representative from earlier, the same man that’d assured your family had a place in the vault._

_He wasn’t being allowed entrance._

_“This is bullshit! After all I’ve done, all the vaults I’ve filled, I can’t even get in!”_

_This wasn’t right._

_**This was just fucked.** _

_Raising your hand, you wanted to reach out to the man. You weren’t sure what you could do, but maybe… just maybe you’d be able to help. Maybe you’d be able to persuade one of the officials into letting him in with you. Surely they had enough space to spare for one man, right? Maybe…_

_Before you could do anything, Nate had gently grabbed your arm and guided you up front with him, informing the officer that you all were signed up for the program._

_Scanning over the list on his clipboard, the man nodded once he looked over your small family. “Infant, adult male, and adult female. Okay, go ahead. You’re good to go, sir.”_

_“Thank you.” Nate replied._

_Once you were cleared for entrance, you were pressed through the gate and immediately taken over by another soldier, pointing at you and telling you to follow closely behind him._

_“Come on!”_

_Both of you glanced back behind yourselves at the gate, watching them call out towards the guards, pleading for them to let them through while others were crying out prayers towards the sky; pleading and hoping that they wouldn’t die._

_“Nate…”_

_You couldn’t do this…_

_**None of this was fair…**_

_None of this right…_

_Nate turned and gave you a sympathetic look, knowing what was on your mind. Cradling Shaun a bit closer towards his body, he turned and addressed the soldier leading all of you. “What’s going to happen to all of those people outside of the gate?”_

_The soldier didn’t bother giving a straight answer. “We’re doing everything we can, now keep moving!”_

_Knowing that was all the answers you were going to get, Nate dropped the subject and gestured for you to keep moving forward._

_As you ran, the sound of the sirens below became drowned out by the arrival of the Vertibird above, its metal propellers slicing through the air loudly as it began it’s descent to land._

_The more you looked around the, the more real everything was. Numerous soldiers and other officials gathered around, all each securing different parts of the area while they checked off on lists they had. Supplies were being checked and maintained while more people came, but from what you could see, there didn’t look to be that many at the moment. Though you knew better than to believe that everyone would make it out of this safely, you still hoped that there would at least be more than what you saw._

_When you reached the top of the small hill, the soldier raised his arm and pointed towards a large platform in the middle with other people standing on top of it._

_“Step on the platform, directly in the center!”_

_Not given much of a choice, not that you wanted one anyway, both Nate and you stepped onto the metal platform with the others, waiting for further instruction._

_**How was everything going to turn out okay?**_

_Standing there, on top of what you could only guess to be the vault you would reside in, the heavy weight that drug you heart down to your stomach intensified tenfold. This was it…_

_**There was no going back.**_

_Now, the vault would be your home for as long as they said so._

_This place, would now be where your son would grow up._

_Locked inside some tin-can for who knew how long._

_Thinking about the possible future for your child, you had to wonder if he would ever have the chance to see the outside world after everything; that was, if you even wanted him to. You had no idea what the world was going to turn to after everything. Maybe, just maybe, it would be better if you didn’t know for a long time. Maybe staying inside the vault **would** be better… _

_Before you became lost to your thoughts, Nate reached over and took your hand in his while he tried his best to give you a comforting smile._

_“He’s fine… We’re fine. We’re going to be okay. **I love you**.” _

_A flash._

_A single blinding flash._

_A sound similar to the most powerful thunderstorm roaring in the sky pierced the sirens and crying._

_A cloud formed…_

_A cloud resembling a mushroom in it’s shape, bursting into the sky and outward across the land…_

_**The beginning of the end.** _

_“Now! Now! Send the vault down now!”_

_The next thing you knew, you were clinging to Nate and Shaun for anchor as the metal platform beneath you rumbled and moved, descending into the ground._

_As you were sinking down, slower than you’d hoped, you caught a glance at the world around you for one last time._

_A powerful and forceful wave washed over the group, sending dirt and debris flying everywhere as another booming echo followed._

_**The beginning of the end…**_

 

_“Time for a whole new life…”_

_After you were locked into your cryo-chamber, you looked outside the small window to across the room, watching your husband enter his own with Shaun._

_You felt a single tear slide down you cheek as you watched him._

_Nate simply gave you that same smile as he mouthed the words ‘ **I love you** ’ one last time, pressing his hand against the window. _

_A single sob escaped you as you did the same._

_You pressed your palm to the glass and mouthed those same words._

_“ **I love you**.”_

_Just as the tear traveled down and slid off your chin, a light fume was emitted around you, making you feel tired… oh so tired…_

_You could feel yourself slipping away little by little as the air around you turned so cold that you couldn’t feel any part of you anymore._

_**I love you.**_

 

_“Manual override initiated. Cryogenic status suspended.”_

_The first thing you felt was the cold washing over your entire body before your eyes finally drifted open._

_Everything felt… surreal._

_Slowly blinking a few times to help your eyes adjust, all you could see was the inside of your chamber and the outside of the chamber, Nate and Shaun’s pod._

_Was everything over?_

_Was it finally time to start your new life?_

_Testing your functions, you soon realized that you couldn’t move anything else but your eyelids and head; though even those actions took a lot out of you and were strained. Mustering up as much strength as you could, you tried to awaken and use your muscles but to no avail. The closest you got to any big movement was the faint twitching and stretching of your fingers._

_Maybe… maybe they were just waking everyone up so they could begin the initiation like they said._

_…_

_But, if that were the case, why were you not completely thawed by now and the door still remained shut?_

_“Na--”_

_“This is the one. Here.”_

_Outside your pod window you could see a figure in a hazmat suit approach your husband’s chamber._

_**What were they doing?**_

_Before you could try and form a coherent word, another figure emerged from somewhere off to the side to examine the same chamber._

_“Open it.”_

_Heeding the other’s command, the person in the hazmat suit typed something into the security panel on the chamber and locking mechanism of the door hissed, releasing a few puffs of mist before it opened, revealing Nate holding Shaun in the same position you last saw._

_Instantly, the ice that’d built up thawed once the door opened and Nate was moving and coughing while Shaun cried in distress._

_Once Nate caught his breath, he weakly moved his head up to gaze at the person before him._

_“I-Is it over? Are we… are we okay?”_

_“Almost. Everything’s going to be okay…”_

_Not saying anything further, the hazmat figure reached forward into the chamber towards Shaun, cautiously beckoning the child forth with a gloved hand. “Come here… Come here, baby…”_

_**No…**_

**_Shaun…_**

_As the person drew closer towards Shaun, Nate shook his head and tried to turn his body away from them._

_“No, wait… No, I’ve got him!”_

_Undeterred by Nate’s attempts to try and keep Shaun away from them, they placed one hand on Nate’s arm while the other tried to squeeze between your son’s body and Nate’s arm._

_While the person in the hazmat suit tried to pry Shaun from Nate’s hold, the other figure behind them reached behind their back and produced a pistol, then aimed it directly at Nate._

_“Let the boy go. I’m only going to tell you once.” They threatened._

_**No...**_

_Fear and sickness welled up within you as you watched the scene unfold. Your breathing quickened as you tried, tried so desperately to call out to him, to warn him!_

_But… you couldn’t move…_

_**You couldn’t do anything.**_

_Not giving up for a moment, Nate shook his head furiously while he lashed out verbally, “I’m not giving you Shaun!”_

**_…_**

_A single gunshot rang out in the air._

_Nate’s body slumped back against the chamber’s chair and his hold on Shaun loosened._

_**No,**_

**_No,_**

**_No,_ **

**_No!_ **

_Tears rushed forward and spilled down your cheeks immediately as you tried to move._

_You couldn’t._

_The only thing you could do was try to twist and scream._

_But, nothing happened._

_Nothing worked._

_You were still partially frozen._

_**You couldn’t do anything.**_

_While you tried to do something, anything(!), the person that was trying to pry Shaun from Nate’s hold finally succeeded and took your son from the chamber._

_**No!**_

_That… That was your son! They couldn’t just… They couldn’t just take him!_

_They couldn’t just take your son after **murdering** your husband in cold blood!_

_As the person held your son and tried to soothe his constant wailing, the person - who you now realized was a male, due to the rough and deep voice - cursed and spit out something to the side of them._

_“Shit! Get that kid out of here and let’s go.”_

_The person holding Shaun nodded once and left without another moment wasted, leaving the murderer, you dead husband, and you behind._

_Just as the killer was about to depart the same way the other did, he stopped and turned, staring directly at your chamber before stepping in front of it._

_Apart from their otherwise average appearance, there was one thing that separated them from the rest._

_They had a large, straight scar right down their left eye._

_“At least we still have the backup…”_

_A single choked whimper managed to escape your lips after they left too._

_**Nate…**_

_“Cryogenic sequence reinitialized.”_

_…_

_**Nothing would be alright…**_

 

 _The first thing you felt was the cold washing over your entire body before your eyes finally drifted open._

_Everything felt… **awful.** _

_A sudden and painful intake of breath into your lungs had you groaning loudly._

_You gasped and coughed, your lungs burning with every breath you took._

_Unlike before, this time, instead of being stuck in the chamber -- only able to watch helplessly and do nothing -- the door to the chamber swung open and everything around you changed._

_The bitter chill that surrounded your body faded and your muscles suddenly roared to life as you fell forward and onto the ground._

_You were unable to catch yourself, so the fall was a bit painful. Your hands caught most of the tumble which didn’t help a bit. Currently, you arm was jabbed into your side, sticking into your ribs enough to sting and your legs were tangled with a few torn wires._

_Slowly, you were able to move your head and survey your surroundings._

_Before anything else, you were suddenly reminded of something…_

_A painful memory…_

_Quick flashes of Nate and Shaun in the chamber peacefully, and then they were both moving and making noise… and then… then…_

_“Ugh…”_

_Your head throbbed painfully as you recalled everything._

_Nate… was…_

_**Dead.**_

_Slowly, you willed your body to move. Bit by bit, it did._

_You thumped your fist on the ground weakly as you struggled to stand._

_You had to get moving…_

_Eventually, after some trial and error, you finally succeeded in moving._

_Your legs were the first to move, clumsily kicking and turning about to free themselves from the wires. After that, you placed your palms flat on the floor and heaved your upper body up enough while your legs followed suit; you were now on your hands and knees, panting and huffing as if you’d ran a marathon._

_“F-Fuck… Vault-Tec…”_

_Groaning, you began to slowly raise yourself up from the floor to a stand. Apart from the fatigue and muscle weakness, it seemed as though you were fine. It was just going to be a pain in the ass getting out of there on wobbly legs._

_But, before you began to look around the facility, you turned slightly and saw Nate’s chamber._

_Stepping forward, you gazed into his chamber before you tried to open it. After a few jerks at the metal, you realized that you were going to get nowhere trying to open it that way. Looking around, you suddenly remembered how the person opened it before. Finding the panel, the buttons had been smashed in and deemed unusable, but there was still a lever there that remained unharmed. Something was better than nothing, so you reached forward and prayed that the lever still worked._

_After you pulled the lever down, the chamber hissed and roared to life before the door swung upward, revealing Nate’s body._

_Unlike before, when the chamber opened, Nate’s body remained frozen, curled in the same position he was in when he died._

_“Oh, baby…”_

_Reaching forward into his chamber, you gently stroked your fingers over his cheek before letting your hand drift downward. His body was stiff, cold, and lifeless._

_Your hand came to a stop at his and found his wedding ring still there on his ring finger._

_Closing your eyes, you sighed and whispered a single prayer before you slid the ring off of his hand._

_“Nate… I promise I’ll find who did this. I’ll find who did this and make them pay for what they did. And I’ll get Shaun, our son, back. I promise.”_

_Once you finished, your eyes opened once again._

_This time, there was no tears, no sobs, no desperate cries for help._

_There was only fire and determination in your eyes and heart._

_**I promise I’ll make things right.**_

\- - - 

Lurching awake, your body jolted upward as you gasped and a single scream tore from your throat. 

_The vault…_

Nate…

Shaun…

A stabbing pain repeated in your head, making you wince and grab at your hair pitifully. 

You’d had another nightmare again. 

This was another night that your memories haunted you. 

Another night of sleep that you missed. 

“Fuck…” You cursed and tried to shake your mind free of the recollections. 

At the rate you were going, you weren’t sure how much more you could take. 

Waking up every night to the vision of your husband getting killed and your son being kidnapped was painful and terrifying enough on its own. But, the most terrifying thing of it all was that it wasn’t just some recurring nightmare that you could try and work past. It was your memories, your present and constant reminded of everything that you were fighting for. The sole reason you couldn’t give up. Not yet…

Now, as you sat up in the shitty mattress you dragged from an abandoned campsite, you were fully awake and would be unable to fall back asleep any time soon. 

Shaking your head and cursing one last time, you dragged the torn blanket you’d also found and wrapped it around you more. Although you were currently scrambling for your form of comfort, the ratty blanket also provided its own comfort as well. Yes, it provided little warmth with it being thin and covered in numerous holes, but it was the thought that warmed you. The thought of the nights you spent before everything, wrapped up in a thick blanket, curled in bed.

Yes, it was pointless holding onto things like that from the past, but during nights like this, sometimes it was all that held you together. 

Just when you were about to give up, your fingers came in contact with the smooth surface of glass and you were smiling to yourself in victory. 

Just as you grabbed onto the bottle’s neck, the door to the room slammed open, revealing Hancock standing there, aiming his shotgun around the room while he growled menacingly. “Alright, where the fuck--” 

At first, you were confused why he was rushing in here ready to go, but then you remembered. 

You had a nightmare and you’d woken up screaming. 

“Hancock!” You yelled, waving your arm around leisurely, “Hey, sorry, but false alarm. I just… That scream was nothing.” 

Hancock didn’t lower his gun an inch but instead looked around the room, no doubt searching for anyone else there before finally backing off. 

Lowering his shotgun, he walked into the room and over towards you, kneeling down in front of you with a concerned expression. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything here to bother ya, but I can tell something’s up. So, what’s up?” 

You didn’t respond.

You wouldn’t even be sure what to say. 

‘Oh, that? Hah. That was just me screaming out loud because I had another nightmare about my husband and son. No big deal.’

Instead of answering him, you simply shook your head and shrugged, tilting the bottle upwards to your mouth and took a quick swig of the burning liquid.

“ ‘S nothing. Sorry.” 

Hancock wasn’t convinced in the slightest. Instead of being leaving, he simply sighed and set his gun to the side of your bag before sitting down beside the mattress. Anyone with half a mind could tell that you weren’t right. Unlike your usual calm and leisure demeanor, you were evasive and guarded. 

Rolling his shoulder once, he tilted his head and glanced at you. “Come on, what’s the matter. Something’s gotta be going on if it’s got you grabbing for a bottle.” He raised his hands once before shrugging. “I mean, I’m not going to judge you. Everybody’s got their vices, but,” He smiled -- a simple, fake one -- and reached forward to take the bottle from your hand. 

“This shit’s a depressant. Fucks with you worse than whatever did before does.” 

Even though you took a hearty swallow of the whiskey, it wasn’t nearly enough to get you drunk, but what Hancock said was right. It did fuck you up worse than before, but at the same time it temporarily numbed everything. 

“Hancock…” 

He shook his head and placed the bottle over on his far side before dipping his hand into his coat, fumbling about inside of it. “Here,” After a few moments of fishing around, he found what he was looking for and suddenly produced a red inhaler-like device. You leaned closer and brought forth an open hand when he motioned for you to take it. “If you ever want to take the edge of and clear that head of yours, use this. Straight from my personal stash.” He winked once and then dropped it into your awaiting palm. 

Staring down at the object, you tilted your head curiously before glancing up at him. “What… is it?” 

Hancock smiled and gestured to it. “A drug. Commonly referred to as Jet. Works in clearing clouded minds while also having the fun little effect of making time seem slow. Just, uh, don’t ask how it’s made. Might turn you off of it before you even try it.” 

“Jet, huh?” 

Examining the drug closer, it really did look just like an inhaler from the times before. Aside from the red liquid inside of the top container, it would have seemed completely normal to you. 

Once he was sure that you were done staring at it, Hancock reached towards you and carefully took it from your grasp before holding it correctly. “It’s not bad. Mostly mellow, but still just as good.” 

While he held it, he placed one finger over the liquid container and brought the nozzle to his mouth, then pressed his finger down and a faint rush of air was heard. That single press produced a single puff of air into his mouth and he took it all in; holding it all in for a few moments before pulling the device away from his face and exhaling slowly, the smoke spilling from his mouth steadily. 

You weren’t sure why, but the sight was entrancing to you. 

Although you never got involved in anything like that before, you weren’t exactly opposed to the idea of it -- so long as it wasn’t too harsh. But, from what Hancock said, it was supposedly very mellow and you knew that he wouldn’t lie to you about something like that. 

So… why not? 

If it would be able to help ease your mind and troubles, even for a short amount of time, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. 

“... Alright, but uh, if anything happens, just know you’re a bad influence on me.” You joked before taking the inhaler from him. 

Hancock smiled in return -- one that wasn’t so fake -- and was genuine one. A genuine, fucking charming Hancock smile. 

And he called _you_ trouble.

“If you say so, Sister.” 

Without further ado, you brought the inhaler to your lips and mirrored his earlier actions - totally not thinking about how his mouth had previously been there - and pressed the container down, delivering yourself a puff of smoke. 

The second the cloud of chemicals filled your mouth, you grimaced slightly before you pulled the inhaler away from your lips and tried to hold in the puff. Your senses were overtaken by the foreign… everything about it. It wasn’t very pleasant and you could faintly understand why Hancock mentioned not to ask how it was made. It was probably as awful as it tasted and smelled. 

Apparently, while you were internally chastising yourself for ever trying it, some of it slipped into your lungs, causing you to sputter and cough it all out in one big bursting cloud. 

After all of it was gone from your body, Hancock laughed and shook his head before placing a hand on your back -- rubbing your comfortingly -- probably out of pity more than anything else. “Easy, easy. I know I make it look easy but I’ve been doing this for much longer than you have.” 

When you glared up at him was when you felt something different begin to overtake you. 

“Oh…” Was all you mumbled as it hit you all at once.

Hancock continued to rub your back while he nodded knowingly. “There it is.” 

The sensation blanketing your entire body was faint but good. 

You felt light as light as air and everything around you was slowed down. 

It all felt like one buzzing haze of good-ness. 

“How’s it treating ya? Doing alright there?” 

Oh, you were doing more than alright. 

You felt positively fantastic. 

Smiling dopily, you nodded slowly before letting your head and body rest against him while you took it all in. Everything just felt so damn good. All of your problems and worries slipped out between your lips when the smoke did. 

“I’m… I’m good. Thanks, Hancock.” 

Hancock didn’t do anything, simply stayed there and rubbed your back while you leaned against him. 

Honestly, the ghoul himself wasn’t sure what or why he was doing this. 

He simply told himself that he was just trying to help you out. Afterall, when he came in there to see you all shakey and gripping the bottle for dear life, he felt… something well up within him telling him that he needed to do something, anything. 

Of course he knew that drugs weren’t always going to be the best solution, but, at that moment, it seemed that they were for now; sooner than both of you realized, you’d fallen asleep against him and he’d curled an arm around your shoulders. 

Feeling as if he was overstepping some boundary between the two of you, he pulled his arm away from your shoulders and laid you back down against the mattress and tucked the cover around you again. 

Yes, you were trouble, he could tell -- but that didn’t mean you didn’t need someone to help you too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao 420 this is some dank shit bruh
> 
> Can you tell I've never done any kind of drugs in my entire lame life? 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this one, let me know what you think. Also, how are you liking Xiomara (aka you) so far? I'm barely scratching the surface of her struggles with this chapter. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	4. Story Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a brief update, just to let you guys know what's going on.

So, it's been a little over a month since I've last update this. Since then, I've been busy with the holidays and personal stuff, but that's not to say I've lost interest in this. I still intend to finish this and add onto what I've so far, but this exact story will eventually be deleted. I've read plenty of other Fallout 4 stories since then and have loved them, but one thing I realized why I loved them so much is because they were really well done. Thinking back to this, I felt kind of bad. Not for myself, but for you guys, really. You deserve better than the shotty chapters I've written at 2 am, and I plan to make up for that. As I'm posting this small update, I'm rewriting the story, and adding new stuff as well. The chapters I've posted will be re-done (or not, depending how much I like them and if I wish to change anything idk it really depends on how it flows into the other one) and posted on the other. The title will remain the same, I'm just... adding more to the story and your journey through everything you've experienced in the Commonwealth. 

With that said, I'm sorry for those that were interested in this and hoping for the next chapter, but hey, not all is lost. The new story is coming soon and will (hopefully) be better and more enjoyable for you guys! ^ ^

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm going to say straight up that I've never played any Fallout games before Fallout 4 and that my knowledge is very limited apart from what I'm learning from the game bit by bit. I apologize to those that are long-time fans and dedicated to the series, because I may or may not butcher shit and fuck things up from time to time. 
> 
> I simply had to do this because, like Dragon Age Inquisition, this has taken over my life. Only difference is that I'm writing fanfiction for it instead of Dragon Age or my DMC series but let's forget about that for a bit. 
> 
> Anyway, as I was saying, I'm new to the Fallout fandom and don't know much, but I'll still try my best with this. I can't promise how much I'll write for this, it's just something I felt I needed to do. Especially for my Ghoul husband and Synth boyfriend. They're a must and if I choose to take this further, will be heavily included and written for with this. Finally, aside from all that pointless rambling, I do hope you enjoy and let me know how it is. Nice constructive criticism never hurt.


End file.
